Harry Potter Meets Father Christmas
by RodentFace
Summary: After all these years, Harry still doesn't believe in Santa.  So Ginny takes him to The North Pole to prove that Santa is real.


Father Christmas

Author's Note: So, I've read a bunch of Christmas Harry Potter stories and they all sound like wizards don't know about muggle Christmas tales like Santa. I was thinking, "Of course wizards know about Santa! In fact, in the Harry Potter world, Santa might even be real…Dude! I should totally write that!" So this is how we have this story. I hope you enjoy. For other Rodentface Christmas fun, check out Nargles and Mistletoe. It's the first story I ever posted. Note: This story takes place a couple of months before my other story, Guryroot. Merry Christmas!

"Alright! Bedtime! If you don't get to bed, Father Christmas won't be able to come!" Ginny Potter said to Teddy, James, and Albus. The three boys, though looking too excited to possibly go to sleep, hurried up the stairs. After going upstairs and tucking them in, Ginny walked downstairs into the living room to see her husband, Harry, sitting on the couch grinning. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied as she sat down next to him. He put an arm around her shoulders. "When I was really little, the Dursleys made sure that Dudley and I didn't believe in Father Christmas. They didn't want us to get dangerous ideas or something."

"Well, they didn't want you to know about witches and wizards either," Ginny pointed out.

"Yeah, but I understand why they did that. I can't figure out how me believing in Father Christmas could be dangerous. It's not like he's actually real or anything," Harry shrugged.

Ginny gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, since witches and wizards are real, they didn't want me know about them, but…."

"I know that," Ginny said impatiently. "What do you mean by Father Christmas isn't real?"

"James and Al are asleep, Ginny. We don't have to pretend," Harry said.

"Harry, who do you think filled the stockings at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"The house-elves," he answered, grinning. _He wasn't _that _gullible._

"The house-elves get the day off on Christmas, Harry," Ginny said seriously. "Hermione asked them."

"What about the food they had at Hogwarts on Christmas?" Harry asked showing her the flaw in what she said.

"They made it in advance," she replied simply. "You _really _don't believe in Father Christmas do, you?"

"Nope."

"Harry, witches and wizards are real. People play sports on _broomsticks!_ You defeated the most dark wizard of all times and you have trouble believing in _Father Christmas?_" she asked disbelieving.

"Do you know how long it took me to believe that I was a wizard?" he asked. "I didn't believe it until Hagrid gave Dudley a pig tail…and I _still _needed some convincing."

Ginny rolled her eyes, stood up and put on her cloak. "Get your cloak. You're going to need it," she grumbled.

"Wait where are we going?" Harry asked pulling his cloak off the hanger.

"The North Pole," she answered simply reaching for his hand.

"What about James and Al and Teddy?" he asked before taking her hand.

"We'll only be gone for a little while. We have enough protective spells around the house. They'll be fine," she said grabbing his hand and apparating them to The North Pole.

XXX

Harry hugged his cloak closer to himself. Ginny seemed to be looking for something. Apparently she found it because she began walking toward a certain spot. She kneeled over and brushed some snow away. "I take it you've been here before?" Harry asked, shivering.

"Yes," she said absent-mindedly. "Luna took me here once."

"How'd she get here?" Harry asked.

"She and her father were looking for some Crumple-horned Snorcaks. They thought they saw some. Apparently they were just reindeer. Luna's been visiting Santa ever since," Ginny said still brushing away snow.

Anyone else would have thought that she was teasing him, but Harry, who knew exactly the tone of voice Ginny used when teasing, said, "Oh."

Ginny pulled out her wand and tapped the ground with it. Quickly, she stood up and ran back. Slowly, a long, gold, thick pole rose up from the exact spot Ginny had tapped with her wand. When the pole had reached at least the height of a quidditch hoop, it stopped. Harry noticed a little door (so small that only a house-elf could fit through) at the bottom. The door slid open revealing what looked like a house-elf; the only thing that made Harry know that it wasn't was that it was wearing clothes.

The creature bowed, murmured, "Mrs. Potter," and stepped out. He ran a finger along the gold pole.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered.

"Opening the door for us," Ginny explained. "You know how only goblins can open the vaults and Gringotts, well only Santa's elves can open the door for witches and wizards to get into Father Christmas' Workshop."

Once again, the most intelligent thing Harry could say was, "Oh."

Once the elf's finger had reached the ground, a larger door (large enough to fit a human) appeared. He bowed once again and Ginny led Harry through the door and the elf followed. It was like being in a giant, solid gold elevator; once the door had closed behind the three of them, Harry felt the pole lower back into the ground.

"Um, why exactly are you taking me here again?" Harry asked.

"To prove to you that Father Christmas does exist," Ginny answered simply. Then she addressed the elf. "The last time I was here, was when I was sixteen, but you still called me 'Mrs. Potter'. How'd you know that I got married?"

"Miss Lovegood has been here several times since the last time you were here," the elf replied. "She told us when you got engaged."

"Wait, you were only sixteen the last time you were here?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Luna decided that because of the Carrows, I was too depressed and needed to do something fun. Why?"

"Well, what about all the security the Carrows had on Hogwarts. How'd you get through that?" Harry asked.

"It's Luna."

"Oh, good point."

There was a moment of silence before Harry thought of something else.

"Um, Ginny," Harry began looking at his battered old watch (that had once belonged to Fabian Prewett's), "It's nine-thirty on Christmas Eve. Don't you think that he'll be a little bit busy?"

"It's only nine-thirty. He should have enough time just to have a cup of hot chocolate," Ginny assured him.

"Aren't we intruding?" he asked.

"No, not really. He likes getting visitors," she shrugged. "He told me that he hardly ever gets any because of the cold. Fred and George came here once. They told me how the elves were more than happy to try out some of their new products."

"When did they come here?" Harry asked.

"Not long after they, er, 'dropped out' of Hogwarts. It was right before they got really rich," she smiled a little sadly. "I don't think George has been back ever since."

"Has everyone been except me?" Harry asked.

"I think that Ron wanted to take Rose this year, but Hermione said that she was too young. Hermione's never been before as far as I'm concerned."

Finally, the elevator stopped. The door (the larger one) opened, the three of them stepped out, and the door vanished. "How come we can't just apparate into the workshop?" Harry asked.

"Well, think. Wouldn't this be the best place possible to hide? They have to protect it like they protect Hogwarts. Otherwise, anyone could break in," Ginny said. "Besides, wouldn't this be a great place to hide a horcrux? I'm really surprised that Voldemort didn't try," she said. After the war, she had become accustomed to saying "Voldemort" instead of "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named".

"Why would Voldemort hide a horcrux in The North Pole?" Harry asked with his eyes raised.

"It's one of the most famous places in the wizarding world," she said, looking around. "You think that Hogwarts is amazing, this place is famous all around the world. It's so important, that even muggles know about it. But to keep from muggles finding about wizards, we make it look like Father Christmas is just a children's story."

"That makes sense," Harry said. Harry looked around. There were too many elves for him to count running around wrapping up packages and making last-minute checkups on toys; they couldn't have a toy fall apart once a child unwrapped it. What interested Harry the most was that the elves were making and wrapping up both wizard and muggle toys. He saw a toy broomstick (just like the one that James wanted) being wrapped up by an elf who was standing next to an elf who was wrapping up a muggle doll.

"There he is!" Ginny said suddenly. She pointed to some fifty yards away where an old man, with a white beard, wearing a red suit was talking to a group of elves. She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him toward where Father Christmas was standing.

Father Christmas looked up at Ginny and smiled. "Ah, Ginny, it's so good to see you again! I was wondering when you'd come and visit me again. By the way, how's Horace?"

Ginny smiled back. "Professor Slughorn's fine. He came to one of my quidditch games last season. I wanted to introduce you to my husband, Harry."

"I'm glad to meet y….." Father Christmas' voice trailed off. "Harry? Harry Potter?"

"Um, yes," Harry said, his face going red. _Not Father Christmas too!_

"Why!" His face lit up. Addressing Ginny, he said, "When Luna told me you'd gotten married and were now Mrs. Potter, I never made the connection! Ho, ho, ho! Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Potter, very pleased," he said shaking Harry's hand. It rather reminded him of when he first found out that he was famous.

"Pleased to meet you too," he said, his face growing redder and redder by the moment.

"Well, I'd love to sit and chat, but it's Christmas Eve and I need to get the sleigh ready," Father Christmas. He turned around mumbling something that sounded like, "_Harry Potter! _I can't wait to tell Mrs. Claus!"

"Ready to go?" Ginny asked. When Harry turned to face her, he saw that she was trying not to laugh.

"Yeah," he grumbled. The same elf that had let them in, let them in the elevator and closed the door behind them. Harry assumed that they didn't need an elf to help them on the way home. Once the elevator had started to move, Ginny burst into a fit of giggles.

"What?" Harry snapped feeling rather grumpy after that encounter with Father Christmas.

"Oh, it's just that, you're so famous that even _Father Christmas _gets excited to meet you!" she gasped. "You have to admit it's a little funny!"

"No, it's not," he grumbled. "I _hate _how everyone knows who I am."

"Hey. It's Christmas Eve! Be a little bit more cheerful!" she grinned, taking his hand.

XXX

"**IT'S CHRISTMAS!**" shouted two very excited voices. Al, who was very shy, did noy shout along with Teddy and James, but was just as excited.

Harry groaned, put on his glasses, and looked at the cloak; it read 6:42. He turned to face Ginny. "What time is it?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Almost six-forty-five," he said in reply. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she said before kissing him.

"WAKE UP!" James shouted from the hallway. "IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

XXX

Teddy, James, and Al spent the rest of the day playing with the new toys that their parents and Father Christmas (who did actually exist) had given them.

Harry and Ginny had found some mistletoe that they'd "forgotten" to take down after the Christmas party and were nowhere in sight.

"Merry Christmas," Ginny murmured.


End file.
